The best books you’ll read are typically recommended by people you like or admire. Which is why we’re partnering up with bookshelf.tips to do a monthly roundup of short book recommendations from the apex of the tech world. Bookshelf.tips asked entrepreneurs, CEOs, and other visionaries share stories about books that changed their life or the way they do business – in less than 50 words, because we know you’re busy people (but hopefully not too busy to read these books).

To kick off this monthly roundup, we’ve collected the favorite books of the CEOs of Y Combinator and Basecamp, but also (co-)founders of companies like Duolingo, Airbnb, and Betalist.com. Enjoy!

Shōgun

“Shogun is my favorite book because it hammers home the point that when making an important decision, delay is always a serious option to be considered. Options available to a person or company can change very quickly. What looks impossible today might look possible tomorrow.”

To check out more goodreads or if you feel like sharing a book that inspired you, feel free to go to bookshelf.tips and add your own.

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